The present invention relates to containers for the segregation of refuse, and, more particularly, to compartmented refuse containers emptied by collection trucks with plural compartments which may be selectively emptied.
In recent years, there has been great emphasis on recycling numerous types of refuse as a result of the need to limit the amount of material deposited in sanitary land fills and the need to conserve resources by recycling such materials as glass, metals, and plastic. Unfortunately, recycling is labor intensive for the refuse collector, as well as the refuse generator.
To minimize the potential for a third party placing unsegregated materials in the refuse container or intermingling the contents of segregated compartments, it is desirable that the lids of the refuse containers be locked to limit access.
As a result of segregation for refuse for recycling, many owners of apartment units and commercial buildings now employ multiple refuse containers of the type which are picked up by hydraulic lift devices on garbage collection trucks and dumped into the truck. These are separately collected.
Partitioned collection trucks are well known. Typically, refuse that has been separated is manually collected and dumped into the appropriate compartment of the refuse truck. Attempts at automating the process have met with limited success. One such automated system utilizes a partitioned curbside container at the apartment house or business. Pick-up arms on the collection truck are equipped with closure elements that keep the lids of the container shut until the container is lifted, inverted, and positioned over the proper bin of the collection truck. A computer controls the movement of the pick-up arms and further controls the release of the container lids, providing a system that is both complex and expensive. Additionally, lid release does not occur until the full weight of the contents is on the lid, resulting in increased wear and maintenance.
Another system for use with a partitioned collection truck uses a storage container with several compartments, each having its own door. The doors are spring biased shut, and sufficient force on a tab attached to the door causes the door to pivot open. When the storage container is inverted over the truck, elements on the truck provide the opening force to the tabs on the doors. The contents of all of the storage container compartments are simultaneously discharged into the respective compartments on the truck. The difficulty with this system is that precise positioning of the storage container over the truck is required in all three axes of movement. Also, the operator may not detect a problem until it is too late to avoid. As will be appreciated, these systems involve special and expensive truck constructions and/or refuse containers.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel compartmented refuse container assembly in which the compartments may be separately discharged and which is simple in design and operative with a high degree of reliability.
It is also an object to provide such a refuse container assembly which may be readily fabricated by relatively simple modification of existing refuse containers and trucks.
Another object is to provide such a container assembly which does not require precise positioning of the container relative to the truck for discharge of the contents.
A further object is to provide such a container assembly which can be readily and relatively economically fabricated.